Imperial Beach Pier – Mike at the Tin Fish at the end of the pier reports things are much the same. Some corbina show up inshore along with a few halibut mid-pier. Mackerel come and go while the shovelnose shark and bat ray action remains fairly steady. How To Get There: From I-5 take the Palm Ave. (Hwy. 75) exit and follow it to where Palm Ave. and Hwy. 75 divide. Follow Palm Ave. to Seacoast Dr., turn left and it will take you right to the pier.

Ocean Beach Pier — Billy Burns, at the Ocean Beach Pier tackle shop on the pier, says some big bonito are visiting the pier along with some barracuda and quite a few sheephead but other than that it’s the normal species such as mackerel (at night), croakersm sharks and rays. How To Get There: From the north, take I-5 to the Sea World Dr. exit and follow it until it turns off to Sunset Cliffs Blvd. From the south, take I- 5 to the Nimitz Blvd. exit, then follow that road to Sunset Cliffs Blvd. Follow Sunset Cliffs Blvd. to Newport Ave., turn right and follow the road to the pier parking lot.

Crystal Pier – Jim at the Crystal Pier (and motel) says a few croakers and sargo have shown up inshore while mackerel and some decent-sized bonito are showing at the end. How To Get There: Take I-5 to Garnet Ave. then take Garnet west to the foot of the pier. (A license is required from this pier).

Pepper Park Pier — No report although a few bass and croakers should be hanging around. How To Get There: From I-5 take the 24th Street off-ramp west to Tidelands Avenue and go left (south) on Tidelands to the end.

Bayside Park Pier — No report. How To Get There: From I-5 take the J Street off ramp and go west. Take J Street to Tidelands Ave., turn right. Take Tidelands to Sandpiper Way, turn right. Take Sandpiper to Bayside Parkway, turn left and follow the road to the park.

Embarcadero Marina Pier — James at JJ’s Sunset Deli (foot of the pier) says actin is still slow. About the only thing that’s been hitting are a few mackerel and sand bass with an occasional shark or ray on the bottom (and even those are slow). How To Get There: From the I-5 south, take the Front Street exit south to Market (just stay on Front Street, it runs into Market), take Market west to Harbor Dr. Turn left on Harbor Dr. and take it to 8th Ave., turn right onto Convention Way (formerly Harbor St.). Follow it a short block to 5th Ave. and the pier. It seems that with the new Convention Center the city is constantly working on these streets near the pier and renaming them; if you get confused remember that the park and pier are immediately to the southwest of the Convention Center. From I-5 North, approaching from the south, take the J Street exit, then go straight, three blocks up to Market, turn left and take it from there.

Ferry Landing Pier (Coronado) – Sounds like it’s slow with a few bass and mackerel providing most of the action. How To Get There: From San Diego, take the Coronado Bay Bridge (Highway 75) to Coronado. Once over the bridge you are on Third Street. Simply follow it to B Avenue, turn right, and follow it to the front of The Old Ferry Landing - the intersection of First Street and B Avenue. The pier sits behind the shops in the complex.

Shelter Island Pier – Ed, at Sharkey’s B&T on the pier, says the mackerel are in and out but mostly out. A few small barracuda have been taken on live smelt, as have a few small halibut, but it isn’t anything a person can count on. How To Get There: Take I-5 or I-8 to Rosecrans (Hwy. 209) and go west, turn left at Shelter Island Dr. and follow the road until you see the pier and the entrance to the parking lot.

Oceanside Pier — Ed, at Oceanside Pier Bait & Tackle on the pier, says the inshore croaker action has slowed although there are a few surperch. Further out on the pier anglers are taking some 12-13” mini-bonito on splashers while a few sheephead have been taken mid-pier to the end. A few small halibut have also been taken while the lobster opener saw a lot of hoopsters but very few legal-size lobsters. How To Get There: From I-5 take the Harbor Dr. exit off the freeway, follow it and it will wind down to the harbor; where the road splits stay to the right on North Harbor Dr., and follow it to the pier.

Oceanside Harbor Pier — The pier is kicking out some decent croakers and bass, and some decent-sized rays How To Get There: From I-5 take the Harbor Dr. exit off the freeway, follow it and it will wind down to the harbor; where the road splits stay to the right on North Harbor Dr., and follow it to the pier.

Orange County Piers —

San Clemente Pier — Brandon, at Schleppy’s Bait and Tackle at the end of the pier, says fishing’s slowed although there are still a lot of bat rays, mackerel and salema out toward the end. Some sargo and croakers continue to be taken inshore. The lobster opener saw the pier crowded but only about six legal-size lobsters were taken. How to Get There: From I-5 take any of several exit streets west to El Camino Real, follow it to the center of town, and from there take Del Mar down to the pier.

Dana Harbor Pier — No report this month. How To Get There: The pier is located in the Dana Cove Park area of Dana Point Harbor. From the Pacific Coast Highway take Green Lantern Road south to the harbor, turn left on Cove Road, and follow it to the pier.

Balboa Pier — Our reporter Snookie says, “I am sorry to say it has not been a good month. There has been lots of bait every day which is mostly small sardines, but I am afraid the fish are full. There have been some big bonito, but most of them are small around 10 inches. The mackerel have found their way into the surf, so it is hard to get away from them if you don't want to catch them. Have been a few shovelnose and small white seabass plus thornbacks and wall-eyed perch. The halibut have been small-very small. The water is cool again, but the weather airwise has been nice. The water has had some disturbances from the southern hemisphere. for a couple weeks now. Halibut don't like that. The rest don't care.” How To Get There: From the Pacific Coast Highway take Newport Blvd. which will turn into Balboa Blvd., follow it west to Palm Street. Turn right and follow it to the pier and the adjacent parking lot.

Newport Pier— Usually about the same as Balboa. How To Get There: From the Pacific Coast Highway take the Newport Blvd. turnoff and proceed west watching for signs directing traffic to the pier. The pier sits at the foot of McFadden Place.

Huntington Beach Pier — Nicole, at Let's Go Fishing (on the pier), says she’s seen some nice halibut (to 38”) while the inshore croaker and mid-pier mackerel action has slowed. She says there are are still a lot of small bat rays being taken along with some decent-sized leopard sharks. How To Get There: Highway 1 (Pacific Coast Highway) to Huntington Beach and the pier.

Seal Beach Pier — Steve at Big Fish Bait & Tackle. 1780-C. Pacific Coast Hwy, said anglers continue to pull in yellowfin croakers and spotfins inshore although it’s slowed a little. Out a the end the mackerel action has also slowed although some micro-bonito have begun to show. Action remains good on shovelnse sharks (guitarfish) and bat rays. Lobster poaching continues in force. How To Get There: From the Pacific Coast Highway simply take Main St. west and follow it to the pier.

Los Angeles County Piers

Belmont Pier —Randy, at Paul's Bait and Tackle, 803 South Pacific Ave. in San Pedro, says some croakers and sargo are showing inshore, bass and a few mackerel out a the end. How To Get There: From the north take I-405 to the Lakewood Boulevard turnoff, and then go south to 7th Street, turn west (right) until you come to Ximeno Ave. and then turn left. Follow it to Livingston Dr. and go west. You will see signs by Ocean Ave. and Termino Ave. indicating the pier. From the south take the Pacific Coast Highway to 2nd. Street (Westminister becomes 2nd. Street when it crosses PCH), go west, follow to Livingston Dr. Follow it to signs by Ocean Ave. and Termino Ave. indicating the pier and parking lot.

Shoreline Aquatic Park Piers — Randy, at Paul's Bait and Tackle, 803 South Pacific Ave. in San Pedro, says the piers are still kicking out some sargo and bass along with a few halibut. Sharks and rays are available at night. How To Get There: From inland areas take I-710 south and follow it to the Shoreline Drive. From downtown Long Beach, take Pine Avenue south to Shoreline Drive. For the northernmost piers follow Shoreline Avenue west and follow it around the lagoon to where the street ends. For the southernmost piers, follow Shoreline Drive east to the markings for Shoreline Village, continue past the shopping complex, and follow the road out to near the end of the peninsula. You will see the various piers as you drive the road out to the end.

Cabrillo Pier — Randy, at Paul's Bait and Tackle, 803 South Pacific Ave. in San Pedro, says there’s been some halibut (live bait) and bass (plastics) mid-pier along with a few mini-bonito. He says anglers are getting perch out at the end by the rocks. But, it’s been slow on top. How To Get There: Take the Harbor Freeway (I-110) south; it will turn into Gaffey St. Follow it to 22nd Street and turn left. Follow 22nd St. to Pacific Ave. and turn right. Follow Pacific Ave. to 36th Street and the entrance to Cabrillo Park.

Green Pleasure Pier (Avalon, Catalina Island) – Lots of small bass as well as other species are available although space on the pier can be very limited. How To Get There: The trick here is to get to Catalina. Ships and helicopters make the journey several times a day from the Port of Los Angeles, Long Beach and Newport Beach. Information is available on all of these by calling the Avalon Chamber of Commerce on the Pleasure Pier (213) 510-1520 or the Visitor's Information & Service Center (213) 510-2500. Once in Avalon there should be no problem in finding the pier, which is located at the foot of Catalina Avenue.

Cabrillo Mole (Avalon, Catalina Island) – A mix of bass, opaleye, halfmoon and other Catalina pier species are available. The bonito come and go and they’re joined by a few barracuda and sightings of yellowtail. How To Get There: The trick is to get to Catalina. Ships and helicopters make the journey several times a day from the Port of Los Angeles, Long Beach and Newport Beach. Information is available on all of these by calling the Avalon Chamber of Commerce on the Pleasure Pier (213) 510-1520 or the Visitor's Information & Service Center (213) 510-2500. Once in Avalon there should be no problem in finding the mole that sits right where most boats disembark.

Redondo Beach Pier – Pete, Just Fishing By Pete. 2427 190th St. Redondo Beach, says some mackerel and small halibut continue to be taken. How To Get There: From the Pacific Coast Highway, take Torrance Blvd. west to the foot of the pier and the parking lot.

Redondo Sportfishing Pier — Austin, at Redondo Sportfishing, said it’s mainly been sub-legal bass along with the small perch and senorita under the pier. How To Get There: From the Pacific Coast Highway take Beryl St. west to Harbor Dr. and follow it to the entrance of the Sportfishing parking lot.

Hermosa Beach Pier – PFIC reports indicate a few halibut continue to be had (use live bait) along with the usual mix of small croakers, occasional bass, and sharays. Mckerel are available, especially in the evening. Pete, Just Fishing By Pete. 2427 190th St. Redondo Beach, says the action is hot on the beach for leopard sharks and big soupfins (to 80 pouunds) but not too many have been hooked by pier fishermen. How To Get There: Take the Pacific Coast Highway (Hwy 1) to Pier Avenue and follow Pier Avenue west to the pier.

Manhattan Beach Pier – Andreas Beck, at the Bohemian Beach Café (end of the pier), reports some good-sized (4-5 pound) bonito have been making an appearance along with the usual mackerel and sardines. It also sounds like the baitfish have brought in the sharays. Andreas reports another soupin shark, some big shovelnose, some leopard sharks to 6-feet, and a large 30+pound angel shark. How To Get There: From Sepulveda Boulevard, turn west on Manhattan Beach Drive and follow it to the pier.

Burton Chace Fishing Platform (Marina Del Rey) — Small barracuda and a few halibut are still around. How To Get There: From Lincoln Boulevard turn west on Mindanao Drive and follow it to the park. To reach the dock you must go through the park.

Venice Pier — No report this month. How To Get There: Highway 1 to Washington St., turn west and follow Washington St. to the pier.

Santa Monica Pier — Mannie, at the Santa Monica Pier Bait & Tackle, says a lot of fish are showing up. He says small 4-5” mackerel are thick and they’re bringing in a few barracuda (but no bonito). Halibut action remains fair to good with a number of 23-23” fish, and shark action remains strong (especially thornbacks). He said the lobster poachers on the pier were joined by kayakers and boaters this lobster opener, they headed out out to the rocks PRIOR to the opening times. How To Get There: From I-405 take Santa Monica Blvd. west to Ocean Ave. Turn left, go to Colorado Ave., and turn right onto the pier.

Malibu Pier – Ginny at Wylies Bait and Tackle reports that quite a few halibut continue to be taken up to the 24-26” range aong with some sargo inshore. Shark and ray action also remains strong with big bat rays, shovelnose and leopard sharks along with some small thresher sharks (on live mackerel). How To Get There: The pier fronts on the Pacific Coast Highway (Hwy 1) so just drive until you see it.

Ventura & Santa Barbara County Piers

Port Hueneme Pier — Sardines and mackerel lead the hit parade with a few halibut and sharays adding variety. How To Get There: From Highway 1 take Hueneme Rd. west until it turns into Port. At Ventura Rd turn left and follow it to Surfside Dr. Turn left again and follow it to the park.

Ventura Pier — The pier is seeing the usual perch and croaker action inshore to mid-pier while some larger sharks and rays are common at the end. The mackerel come and go. How To Get There: From Highway 101 take the Seaward Drive exit west to Harbor Drive, turn right and follow it to the pier.

Stearns Wharf — Frank, at Stearns Wharf Bait and Tackle, reports good action on Pacific mackerel and Spanish mackerel (jack mackerel) along with a few shovelnose sharks (guitarfish) and a very few bonito. How To Get There: From Highway 101 take Castillo St. or State St. west to the beach and follow signs to the pier

Goleta Pier— It sounds like there’s a good mix of baitfish—Pacific mackerel, Spanish mackerel, jacksmelt and sardines along with some of the bigger brutes including halibut (a few) and bat rays. How To Get There: From Highway 101 take the Hwy. 217/Airport exit. Follow it to Sandspit Rd. and the Goleta Beach Park turnoff. Follow this to the park and the pier.

Gaviota Pier — PFIC reports indicate a few mackerel are available and they are producing a few halibut. Sharls and rays are also still sharing the pier’s waters. How To Get There: From Highway 101 simply take the Gaviota State Park turnoff.

I am a full-time RVer traveling in Ca. and am thoroughly impressed with the amount of information supplied at this web-site. I've tried the San Francisco Pier, Santa Cruz Pier and the Santa Monica Pier on my way south for the winter. Didn't catch anything or see anyone else catch anything...except for some baitfish and the 2 large pink sunstars that were lifted in a pier net at Santa Cruz Pier.
Because of your listing and directions, both for getting there and how to fish when there, I was prepared for the outing. Not your fault the fish weren't Thank you, thank you and thanks again. I made copies of all your information and have them in protective sleeves in a notebook that is with me all the time I'm fishing, so I even know what it is I may catch. You have made my year!!!

I am a full-time RVer traveling in Ca. and am thoroughly impressed with the amount of information supplied at this web-site. I've tried the San Francisco Pier, Santa Cruz Pier and the Santa Monica Pier on my way south for the winter. Didn't catch anything or see anyone else catch anything...except for some baitfish and the 2 large pink sunstars that were lifted in a pier net at Santa Cruz Pier.
Because of your listing and directions, both for getting there and how to fish when there, I was prepared for the outing. Not your fault the fish weren't Thank you, thank you and thanks again. I made copies of all your information and have them in protective sleeves in a notebook that is with me all the time I'm fishing, so I even know what it is I may catch. You have made my year!!!

haha, if you want even more info you should get the book..._________________Punish tourists.